NHTSA — Electrical System Problems

CarComplaints.com Notes: Engine cradle rot is a serious problem in the 2004-05 Chrysler Pacifica. Chrysler admits they didn't apply enough coating to the vehicle's sub-frame during assembly, but only offered to cover a very small portion of the vehicles they messed up.

So what happens when your engine cradle rots? Well, the engine could fall out for starters. It could also cause problems with the suspension and other components but did I mention THE ENGINE CAN FALL OUT? The worst part is you might not know because there's no way to see the problem without getting under the car.

If you have a 2004-05 Pacifica, make sure to have your mechanic inspect your sub-frame for rust and corrosion.

5.7

fairly significant

Crashes / Fires:

0 / 2

Injuries / Deaths:

0 / 0

Average Mileage:

15,360 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

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2005 Chrysler Pacifica Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Pacifica

32,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2005 Chrysler Pacifica battery dies somehow and leaves me stranded. This happens every couple weeks. There is something draining the battery that causes it not to start. And no I am not leaving a light on or door open.

Pacifica

80,000 miles

2005 Chrysler Pacifica. Right headlight will quit with no warning, then will come back on its own Accord. Dealer checked for previous reports of problem and found none. Mechanic said the harness comes loose and must be reseated. No easy task since it is under the breather tube and difficult to get to. Also, left rear turn signal will quit working then come back on. Wiring harness seems to be intact so other option would be bulbs (2). However, if they are bad, why does the signal restore itself? dealer had no answer for that mystery either. Problem started mid-summer 2008 and has continued intermittently ever since.

Pacifica

Automatic transmission

miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Our 2005 Pacifica touring AWD was purchased new in 2005, we had a problem with the cruise control at about 4000 miles. When driving out of town the cruise control shut off, the indicator light on the instrument panel still had the cruise light on, but the set light went off. We could not use the cruise control until we pulled over and restarted the engine. This happened again around 16000 miles. Both times the dealer said they could not recreate the problem. Around 17, 500 miles the radio would not delay and stayed on after the ignition was turned to off. About two weeks later the map lights would not work when the engine was running. It was brought to the dealer and we were told that the body control module (BCM) was bad and it would be replaced. The part was ordered and installed. In January of 2007 my wife (seven months pregnant) and members of her family drove the Pacifica to Kansas for a family wedding. On the return trip while driving through Texas around 10:00pm the instrument panel, brake lights, turn signals, radio, air conditioner/heater all failed. The only working interior/exterior lights were the automatic headlights. She called me and I notified the dealer, who told me to have her bring it in "when she gets back". thankfully a family member in the car had a gps enabled cell phone with a speedometer and they made it back without incident. The BCM was found to be the problem and a new unit was ordered and installed. In March of 2007 the map lights once again stopped working and the vehicle was brought to the dealership yet again. Once again the BCM was the problem and it was replaced. We notified Chrysler customer service and they had the dealer technician check the wire splicing for the instrument panel thinking that was the problem. The technician could not find anything that would cause the BCM failures and we were told that it should not happen again. Needless to say we are worried that this may start happening again.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

47,000 miles

The contact owns a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. The contact witnessed smoke rising from beneath the dashboard and the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department diagnosed the cause as an electrical failure. The manufacturer inspected the vehicle and stated the fire was external. The manufacturer refused to provide the contact with a copy of the inspection report. The current and failure mileage were 47000.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

10,000 miles

Since 2006, I've had to take my car to the service department because of ABS light turning on and off. At the time this occurs, the brakes also lock up and make noises when pressed. Each time, the service department tells me its a sensor and when replaced, it stops doing it until the next time a "sensor" needs to be replaced. The say there are multiple sensors, and each time it appears to be a different one.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

25,280 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There is a significant popping and clicking sound when accelerating and stopping. Also happens when moving the gear shift. Car surges forward when popping sound happens. Took to dealer and they said I had to live with it as it is a problem with the car they can not fix. So need to now what to do. Also engine stalls. This has happened twice. The first time I was at a crawl in traffic, but at an incline onto a bridge. I had my foot on the brake and then put it on the gas petal to accelerate and the car died. Lights and dash board are lit but car is shut off. Car restarted with no problem. Second time, I was parking in a spot that was again at an incline. I put the car in reverse, took my foot off the brake and stepped on the gas petal to begin driving in reverse, car died. Both times I had approximately 3/4 of a tank of gas. Also the shop don't want to give you a rental or loner car while the repairs are done.

Pacifica

miles

2005 Chrysler Pacifica the car shuts off when making a sharp turn. It shut off today 11/26/06 when pulling out into traffic almost causing use to be involved in a serious accident with my children in car. The first few times it happened I was driving and I thought maybe my leg hit the key as it is positioned poorly for tall drivers but, the ignition would still be in the on position so. Tonight again it happened and my wife is 5'1 and comes no where's near the key. It turns off on its own. I am very concerned about the safety of my family while operating this vehicle.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

35,500 miles

My 05 Pacifica will not start randomly, will just click click click. A small jump will get it going again. Battery, alternator, electrical all supposedly check out. Happens randomly. One it happened just 10 minutes after I had driven the car. Chrysler dealer claims it happens to many. It stranded me.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

12,112 miles

2005 Chrysler Pacifica stalls without warning. This is the 3rd time in 2 months that my Pacifica has just died @ low speed. The car doesn't just stall, but it completely shuts down. Each time that it stalled, all of the electronics turned off, however, the only thing that was on was the oil light. When the car was taken to the dealership, no fault codes were returned.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

22,550 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

: the contact stated at various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle restarted each time. The dealership replaced the ignition system, checked computer codes, and evaluated wiring harness, but the problem persisted.

Pacifica

miles

We had been traveling at a speed of 55 mph on a 2 lane highway. My husband slowed the car to make a left hand turn. The car was going 20 miles per hour when it stalled completely. We lost power steering, brakes and all ability to control the vehicle. Luckily my husband reacted quickly and forcefully enough to avoid hitting an oncoming car. The car was taken to the dealership and the problem was unable to be reproduced. Returned home the the car and it happened again. I even offered to take the service manager with me to the location where the incident occurred. He refused. Nothing more was addressed by the dealership.

Pacifica

miles

We have a 2005 Chrysler Pacifica. That keeps cutting off. The first time it happen I thought well maybe it was something I did. The second time was when I was turning onto a 2 lane road come home late. The car just turned completely off. No warning at all. Thankfully the car swerved and missed me and my kids. I then took it toallen samuel's alliance. I told them what was happening and also told them my left light keeps having a short in it. And at times cuts off. The dealer called me back and advised that the light had a defect to it and that for the engine failure it was due to my throttle needing to be cleaned. That was not covered under warranty and had to pay $300 to get that cleaned. I then was called back several hours later and was told that the throttle had been clean but it they test drove it and it seemed like something else was going on. They asked if I would let them keep it until the morning so that they can have there tech look at it again in the morning. I said okay although at this point it was going on the 4th day with out having a replacement vehicle. I was called the next day and was told it was the rear motor mount that need to be replaced. And that was covered however I need to pay my deductible. We went ahead and had them fix the problem. This was at the end of July. It is now September and my 2005 Chrysler Pacifica is in the shop again.because as I was driving it staled on me again... took it back to the shop and on my way there it staled again. All of sudden my 2005 Chrysler Pacifica stared making this loud noise when I would accelerated and or turn left........ when we got to the dealer they advise again that now another motor mount has broke... my car has been there a week. And I have not received a loaner car because the warranty company is saying that they will not replace it my 2005 Chrysler only has 39,926....and the dealership is saying that they will help us out with payment plans the repair is 1,100.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

7,266 miles

: the contact stated the vehicle stalled without warning while turning at various speeds on three occasions. The vehicle was maneuvered off the road and restarted. Twice the dealer determined the problem was due to an electrical system malfunction and attempted a repair without success.

Pacifica

Automatic transmission

miles

During the short time I have owned my Pacifica it has stalled on numerous occasions without warning while I am in the middle of driving. There is no consistency to the occurrences either - once while making a slow, sharp left turn while turning around a cul-de-sac, another time while making a slow, sharp right turn into a parking spot, also while sitting idle in a parking lot...the list goes on and on. I bought this vehicle specifically for its safety standards, but it defeats the purpose to buy a "safer" car when it puts you in a dangerous and potentially deadly situation without warning while you are driving at any given moment. I am a realtor and drive clients around all the time - endangering them as well as myself is a huge liability I don't care to take, as I'm sure Chrysler does not either. When I have brought the vehicle in for repair, they cannot reproduce the problem & say it does not give an error code on their computer readout - therefore according to the dealership the problem is not fixable until it can be reproduced while in their hands & hooked up to a machine - highly unlikely. They say that it could be caused by a million different things, they wouldn't know where to start, so therefore they will do nothing until it is a chronic problem. This is not an acceptable answer to me.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

13,000 miles

The automatic lift gate motor started an electrical spark in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was not running at the time. Within minutes the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. The vehicle was declared a total loss. There were no signs of any potential failure leading up to the fire.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

9,000 miles

My 2005 Chrysler Pacifica has stalled on me on two occasions. I was making a sharp left on both occasions. I took the vehicle into the dealer and they could not reproduce the stalling and commented that they have not information from Chrysler that there is a problem. You can type Pacifica and stalling and find numerous Pacifica owners with the exact same problem. Since Chrysler will not take responsibility, I am asking you to address this issue. This is very dangerous and potentially life threatening.

Pacifica 6-cyl

Automatic transmission

34,550 miles

When making a left hand turn, my vehicle lost all power. The engine, power steering, and power brakes failed. This has happened several other times. I have taken the vehicle to my Chrysler dealer twice for this problem. Each time, they were unable to duplicate the problem. The second time my vehicle was at the dealer, they reprogrammed the engine controller. However, this has not solved the problem. I sent a certified letter to Chrysler and the NHTSA on 11/12/05. It was received by Chrysler on 11/15/05. Chrylser did not respond to my letter. Chrysler has never responded to my concerns. This defect has the possibility of causing a collision resulting in death or serious bodily injury.

Pacifica

Automatic transmission

17,500 miles

2005 Pacifica touring was leased in July 2005. Since then, the upgraded infinity sound system has required repair twice and regularly makes a loud popping sound. The ABS warning light came on signaling a failure in the anti-lock brake system March 2006. I scheduled an appointment for March 30, 2006 to repair the ABS system and on my way to work, I needed to turn left, put my foot on the brake, and the car suddenly sped up instead of slowing down. A few weeks prior, we slowed down to make another left turn and the vehicle stalled and shut off completely. I had leased the Pacifica for 36 months, and last week when the ABS system failed and my car sped up while braking, I took it back to the dealership and demanded that they get me out of that vehicle. I was able to terminate my lease and purchase a Jeep vehicle (the dealership sells Jeep) because after I read dozens of consumer complaints, reviews from NHTSA and Consumer Affairs about the safety issues of this vehicle, I couldn't, in good faith, put myself or my child in that vehicle ever again. Not only would driving the Pacifica put our lives at risk, but that of others. I could not live with myself if I knowingly operated a hazardous vehicle and hurt someone as a result. Push for a replacement. You'll get one!

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